Do you suffer from sleep apnoea?

The five to 10 percent of the population who have sleep apnoea are usually blissfully unaware of it, unlike their long-suffering partners. Our reporter Michael Slater went to Adelaide's Repatriation General Hospital to find out more from Dr Nick Antic, who runs the Institute for Sleep Health.

Dr Antic: "Obstructive sleep apnoea is a condition where the airway recurrently partially or completely collapses during sleep, leading to sleep fragmentation and a drop in oxygen levels during sleep."

Airway collapse happens when the muscles of the throat relax and sag inwards during sleep. After several seconds, the sufferer wakes up from a lack of oxygen and starts breathing again. In extreme cases, this can happen up to 800 times a night.

Dr Antic: "If this occurs every night, as it can do, this can lead to high blood pressure, heart failure and very possibly stroke."

Forty-five-year-old Phil Brown believes his sleeping habits are nothing to worry about: "I don't have a problem, I sleep like a log normally — nothing will wake me." But his wife Dianne sees things very differently, "I actually had to videotape him to try and get him to watch the videotape to do something about it. It was either that or separate rooms!"

"I find myself getting tired, particularly in the middle of the day sitting in front of my computer at work. I sort of have a little microsleep and that's a bit concerning," says Phil.

The test

We sent Phil and two other snorers; fireman David French and Robyn Robinson along to the Institute for Sleep Health, to see who among them has sleep apnoea. The first step was to wire everyone up so their heart rate and blood oxygen levels could be checked throughout the night.

Forget the dawn chorus — once these guys were off and snoring, they formed a choir all their own.

Dr Antic's team checked to see if our three heavy snorers had the classic symptoms of sleep apnoea — low oxygen levels and being woken up by breathing difficulties.

While Phil thought he only woke up a couple of times, Robyn reported having a terrible night's sleep. David, being a fireman, is used to broken sleep: "I woke up a couple of times but I think I went straight off again."

So, is it snoring or sleep apnoea?

Results

David

Dr Antic: "Well David, you actually had a relatively normal sleep study, which I'm sure you'll be pleased to know. A good quality of sleep and stable oxygen saturations throughout the night, so you don't have obstructive sleep apnoea."
David: "That's good to hear."

David's disrupted sleep patterns are partly due to the shift work he does. But, because he didn't stop breathing, his is just a bad case of snoring. A simple mouth guard should help keep the noise down.

"I'm willing to try anything to keep the peace at home," says David.

Robyn
It seems Robyn definitely has a problem.

Dr Antic: "Now Robyn, you've got more significant sleep apnoea and our stop breathing index was 58 per hour, so nearly one a minute."

Wow! Imagine struggling for breath 58 times an hour. That definitely calls for some desperate measures. Dr Antic asks Robyn to come back in a week's time to try a pump and mask device called CPAP or Continuous Positive Airway Pressure. The pump blows air into a tube that sits over the nose, or over the nose and mouth. The pumped air acts as a splint to keep the airway open, preventing apnoea. It should greatly improve Robyn's quality of life.

Phil
It turns out his sleep apnoea is even worse than Robyn's! Phil stopped breathing 66 times per hour. That's over 400 times a night! And his oxygen saturation is very low — it's no wonder he's been having micro sleeps during the day.

Dr Antic: "I think you're the kind of patient that can get a great deal of benefit from CPAP so we're going to start that on you in the laboratory tonight."

That's right — Phil's sleep apnoea is so bad they treat him straight away. This time, he's fitted with the CPAP. It's hardly user-friendly but Phil's willing to try: "Who wants to sleep with a snorkel on? I don't suppose it's going to be very comfortable but if it works, if it does its job, then that's what we're after, isn't it?"

He's hoping it will help him to get a decent night's sleep after years of suffering. But did it work? Good news — Phil's night with the CPAP produced excellent results.

The number of times his airflow was partially or totally blocked dropped from 66 per hour to just twice an hour with CPAP and his oxygen saturation levels increased from 76 percent to 94 percent with CPAP. It may not be the sexiest bedtime attire but it clearly worked for Phil.

Dr Antic: "I think if he can stick with it, he's likely to get a very good result and feel considerably better in terms of waking up refreshed in the morning and also much less sleepy in the afternoon."

A CPAP device costs around $1000 but the long-term benefits could far outweigh the cost.

Phil agrees: "The benefit is that hopefully I get my lifestyle back and not get home from work and just be too buggered to do anything."

The doc's also put Phil on a strict exercise and diet programme and there's a reason for that — if you're a bit overweight, losing 10 percent of your body fat will reduce your sleep apnoea by 30 percent.

Here are a few more of Dr Antic's tips if you suffer from mild sleep apnoea:

• Drink less — alcohol makes your airway muscles relax, so lay off before you doze off.
• Don't smoke — smoking can cause swelling and narrowing of the airway, so not a good idea.
• Sleep on your side — sleeping on your side instead of your back will help reduce sleep apnoea.

So, if you or your partner are constantly tired, snore heavily and gasp for air, then make an appointment to see your GP.

Fast facts

• Do animals suffer from sleep apnoea? Yes. Dogs, like humans, also suffer from sleep apnoea. English bulldogs are particularly prone to it, but if your dog's overweight or inactive and has a tendency to snore, he could well be a sufferer too.